Tarot Journey Milestones?

[greatdane]

I'm sure many see changes since they first started becoming interested in tarot.

I was wondering how your journey (and your perspective) has changed since starting and where you see your path continuing and how. Granted, we don't know til we get there, but what do you hope to have gained, or improved upon, a year from now, five years, regarding tarot, or how tarot affects your life in general?

 

[Mellifluous]

Probably not the answer your looking for, but I don't hope to have gained or improved on anything specific. lol It's just a part of life now and has been for a long time. You continue to learn new aspects of different cards, and more about yourself (or Life) as you go along.

I think the major milestones are when you go from, 'Oh, this is cool and intriguing. Yeah, I'll look into this', to realizing there is a lot to learn and you will have to Apply Yourself, like it's a task with an end goal in sight. (Eventually, one day, you'll have it all down. Won't you?! omg There's so many cards! Especially all these freaking, vexatious court cards. But One Day, you'll know them all. You are determined! lol)

Then, realizing there will always be more to learn; and at the same time, that you are indeed on top of it and have it all down as much as is possible. You just have to stay open and in the moment. There isn't really a One Day or it already passed sometime when you weren't quite paying attention. The things you continue to learn after that are situational, as you're interpreting from one reading to the next, or trying some new approach or another. Constantly relearning the lesson to trust your intuition and be open to a new message from familiar cards.

I think once you hit that point with tarot, the journey doesn't 'change' a whole lot. It just continues on.

 

[greatdane]

No wrong answer, Mellifluous!

I wasn't looking for any type of answer, just thoughts, so yours were great!

Since I am looking at tarot as self-reflection and discovery, that's all I hope for. I want to uncover more and more and learn about things I may have missed, and it's already helping me there. I may have some more aha! moments, or maybe smaller aha! moments, or maybe it will just flow, like a river. I do know that deciding to get more into tarot has already opened a different avenue for me and I'm glad I came here!

GD

 

[Amanda]

I remember when I was 16, I did a reading for one of my mom's friends (although, I'm not really sure I'd call it that, looking back on it now! lol). And I got the Empress card. Mind you this woman was probably 40-ish, and she had a daughter that was a few years younger than me, and instead of thinking twice about it applying to motherhood for the daughter she had, I automatically associated that card with 'pregnancy' - the same mistake many newbies make (I'm almost embarassed to say that right now. LOL) and I told her that she would be having another child.

She did end up having another child, we were pregnant at the same time about 5 years later. How I knew that at the time, I don't really know, because honestly, I was stupid with the cards. Even looking back on it now, I slightly cringe at my irresponsibility and lack of sense with tarot. Not that I intentionally was trying to do anything wrong, just that I was taking a big risk attaching one word descriptions to the cards and applying them to something big and life-changing like having another baby!

She didn't invest too much into it though. She was one of those people that didn't really believe in it, and was taught that it was 'the work of the devil' but she just didn't really take it seriously as it was or even as the work of the devil. She joked and laughed for the next 5 years about how cute I was trying to read the tarot cards-- until the day she realized she was pregnant (I'm assuming, lol). We kind of lost touch right before we got pregnant, but we worked together about a year after our kids were born, and I had forgot all about ever doing that reading for her, but she remembered and apologized. She said, "I just laughed and laughed at you, but you were right! I'm sorry I doubted you!" I thought that was very nice of her to remember that and apologize- but still, I'm not sure how the hell that happened. I just took one meaning and attached it to the Empress, and there you have it. (So naive!)

Now that I know better, 8 years later... I still don't feel like I could ever possibly know everything. It seems that every once in a while, I will still come across something new, or a new way of looking at something, and then my beliefs about what is possible just keep expanding, so I've just learned that once you ever try to put boundaries on tarot, you might as well quit, because that's not how it works.

 

[greatdane]

Thanks for sharing that, Amanda!

Very interesting story! Sometimes perhaps whether you really think about the cards and all the meanings, you intuition kicks in. Perhaps it did that day.

As I only read for myself and look at less for divination, I only have to be concerned with what the cards mean for me. For those of you out there who read for others, bravo and brava! It must be challenging at times.

GD

 

[cricket]

I remember going by the little white book for EVERYTHING for a long, long time. Then my deck was discovered, burned, and all of my purchases at the bookstore were very closely supervised for years.

Eventually I became an adult, moved out, bought another deck... and used the LWB meanings for everything.

This went on for a year or so, and a second deck caught my eye. It came home with me. I tried using the LWB, and NOTHING came out accurately. It was all gobbledygook. Complete and utter junk. Being the borderline OCD person that I am, all the readings were recorded in a little journal, complete with notes and thoughts, etc. Eventually I got ticked off at never getting anything accurate with that particular deck, tossed the LWB away, and threw the unboxed deck across the room.

Cards went flying EVERYWHERE.

A few minutes to cool off and I went to go pick them up, and noticed that only a few were face up. Each and every one of them had a person on it with either an expression or a manner of "about stinking time" to them. After that it's all been straight intuition, unless there's an absolute stumper. If there's nothing I can pick up on from a card - especially after pulling a clarifier - the LWB comes out.

Doing things that way, nothing is ever the same. Each and every card has an infinite number of meanings, especially taken in context with the cards surrounding it. There will always be more to learn, and more to see, and to do. It's a long, long road that has no end, and it's been crazy fun (and frustrating) walking it.

 

[greatdane]

Great Story, Cricket!

I'm so glad you shared! You make such a insightful point. That there ARE sooo many meanings, and in the end, lwb, other books, the buck stops with us.

That was a really wonderful story and it's funny how sometimes life sends us messages. Someone else may have missed the point entirely, but you didn't and because of that, moved on.

GD

 

[re-pete-a]

Thats a very very interesting proposition you have come up with GD.
It has stopped one in their tracks.

Tarot itself is a tool . It's the tool that is used for service to others.
Those attracted to be clients are considered to be wanting to change .
These are the type of clientel that ARE attracted, in hindsight.

Using the mirror principle as an every day grounding device ,and knowing that the reflected world is a personal reversed projection, it's stating that the desire to change is here, at the projector.

To be the honest it's a desire to understand the workings of this creation that drive the idea that others too want to understand it.

Being that change and that understanding is the long term goal.Which will eventually arrive at the understanding that nobody really wants anything. All is perfect as it is. All will arrive as scheduled.

It's a nice thought , it's understood, though there's so many attachments and emotions to untangle.
A job in progress.

 

[greatdane]

That it is, that it is, R

Tarot is definitely a flowing river, certainly not stagnant.

 

[Mellifluous]

I wasn't looking for any type of answer, just thoughts, so yours were great!

Since I am looking at tarot as self-reflection and discovery, that's all I hope for. I want to uncover more and more and learn about things I may have missed, and it's already helping me there. I may have some more aha! moments, or maybe smaller aha! moments, or maybe it will just flow, like a river. I do know that deciding to get more into tarot has already opened a different avenue for me and I'm glad I came here!

GD

Cool.

I'm sure you'll have all of the above, at different times.

I'm glad you did, too. Love your enthusiasm - it's so nice to see. You're getting some really good responses to this, too. Nice thread.